Shoe upper with ornamental inlays



May 4 192s.

' 'W. F. BOSTOCK SHOE UPPER WITH ORNAMENTAL INLAYS Filed Deo. 23, 1924dii J'.

f 17u26@ for wzzzmfwm WVWW'MMW/ Patented Ma y14, 1 926.

I vUNITED STATES WILLIAM :F.IBOSTOCK, 0F SOUTH BRAINTREE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE 'UPPER WITH ORNAMENTAL INLAYS.

Application med December 23, 1924. Serial No. 757,629.

To all @kom 'it may conc-em:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. Bos'rook,

a citizen of the United States, residing at South Braintree,in thecounty of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new andu'seful Improvements in Shoe Uppers with Ornamental Inlays, of which'the following is a specification.' v

The object of the present invention is to ornament shoe uppers over moreor less extensive areas of their surface by means of inlays having acontrasting color eiiect to that ofthe upper leather. A further part ofmy vobject is to secure such inlays beyond any reasonable possibility oftheir falling out of place, and at the same time to cause their outersurfaces to be-substantially flush with the outer surface of the,

er. The following specification describes, and the drawingshows,jvarious embodiments of means'coming within the scope of my preS-ent vinvention for accomplishing the above named objects and othersrelated thereto. Thel invention consists in these meansand in allequivalents thereof.

' In the drawings:

Figure 1 is aside view of a shoe having an upper with ornamental inlaysembodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a `similar view of a part ofV a shoe having a specificallydifferent form of ornamentation containing the saine invention; A

Fig. 3 is a fragmentar cross section on an enlarged scale of a s oeupper having an ornamental inlay made according to this invention, theparticular section being taken on-line 3--3 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are viewssimilarto Figure 3 showing various meansfor secur' ing the ornamental inlay in the upper;

Figs. 8, 9, and 10 'are perspective views of pieces of ornamentalmaterial adapted. to

ybe set into cutout openings' in the upper leather to furnish thedesired ornamentation. l

Fig. l1 is a sectional view showing the several securing means,Iillustrated in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 applied to an inlay carrying ajewel' as shown in Figure 7.

Like reference characters designate the same parts wherever they occurin all the figures. f 0

In Figure 1 the 'character a designates the shoe upper as awhole. b isa. strap or binding which is stitched to the outside 1of the vamp, c isanother strap which is secured at its ends to, the counter portion ofthe upper and crosses the instep of the wearers foot, being divided ifdesired and provided with a button or other fastening means. For thepurposes of this invention the binding b and stra care considered as artof the upper. T e upper as a whole, inc uding the speciall parts abovementioned, is made with an outer ply and a lining. The outer ply beingin the art, almost universally made of leather, is called the upperleather, and will be so called in this speci-4 fication, although inusing the term leather in this connection I have not intended to excludefrom thepscope of my protection unusual shoes in whichthe outer ply ofthe upper may be of some other material than leather. .Thatf is, in thisdescription I use the term upper leather' as a generic term meaning theouter ply of the upper, or of any part' of the upper in which the orna-`mentation of this invention is located. The lining of the upperiscommonly of either leather or fabric, and sometimes partly of llatherand partly of fabric'in. the same s oe.

lYlien outer straps, bindin s', caps, etc.. such as the bindings or stras in Figure 1, and the edge inding of shown in Figure 2, are applied tothe upper, said straps, etc. form the outer ply and the upper leatheritself forms the underply; or the strap may have a lining ofits own. Thepoint I now make is that in all-,ofthe constructions of shoe upperto'which my present invention is applied, the structure of the uppercomprises Aan outer'and an inner ply and c shown or breadth, of whichthe outer ply may be the upper leather itself or a piece placed over theupper leather nin some part, and the inner :ply may bethe lining ofsomepart of the upper or the upper leather itselfunder an overlyingpiece. i

The ornamentation of the upper made acl eording to this inventionconsists of ornamental pieces e, f, g, and the like set into openingscut out from the outer ply and backed up by the inner lily; such outerand inner plies being the parts 'identified in the foregoingdefinitionsQI preferably use forthe'inserted or inlaid ornamentations,piecesl fof Celluloid having outlines conforming asy closely as isconveniently -practicable 'to the outlines of the cutout areas in whichthey.

are placed, and having approximately the same thickness as the outer plyin which they are set; whereby they substantially fill the cutoutplaces.I Celluloid is preferred as the material for these inlaysbeca-use itcani be made in all colors, and with manypleasing ornamentaleffects besides those of plain color, alone, can be furnished in sheetsof any thickness, land can be easily worked. However, I do not hmit thescope of my protection to celluloid alone as the ornamental material.Other materials capable of giving equivalent ornamental effects, and ofbeing secured in any of the modes hereinafter described, may be employedin place of celluloid. I

'My reason for preferring to make the mla s of such form and dimensionsthat they will substantially fill the cutout places prepared fortheirreception, is to avoid leaving cracks and hollows in which shoedressing, dust, and other foreign matter may collect, and to cover .theraw edge of the leather.

7,This also gives va more iinished and ornamental appearance.

The i lay 1s supported in ,its position by the underply of the upper and1s there retained by a variety of means. That shown at e in Figs. 1, 3,and 8, is secured at its back directly to the under ply by adhesive. Ifthe inlay is of celluloid, the adhesive used may be of celluloid cementor liquid celluloid; which is essentially a solution of nitro cellulosein a volatile solvent. Such cement will coalesce with the solidcelluloid inlay and f will adhere to the backing composed of the upperleather or lining.

In case a more secure attachment is desired than that obtained bycementing the inlay di ectly to the backing'` ply, such additionalsecurity may be obtained by placing a thin sheet or strip h of thesamematerial between the two plies, as shown in Flgs. 2

and 4. This sheet or strip is wider than the is the same. Thedifferences between these two embodiments further s how'thatthe'inventive idea may be adapted to a multitude of different` designs'and arrangements of or-v namentation at Ydifferent lparts ofthe shoe Iupper. w

' asI Another means ofv securing the inlay is illlfustrated in Figures 5and 9,(and'consists the solvent cement. The Ystrip may .also be.

in providing the vinlay e with a iiange e2 adaptedto underlie the edgesof the opening v in the cutout u per ply, and if desired to bepenetrated an through the two plies around vsuch opening.

-This form of inlay'may also be cemented to 4 the under ply, or toanother intermediate secured by the stitches sheet of the s ame materiallike that shown y at h in Figs. 2 and 4.

Still another means. for securing the inlay is shown irl-.connectionwith the inlay f represented in Figures 1 and 10; such inlay havingprojectionspor lugs f at suitable points on its periphery that occupyindentations on the border of the cutout space in the outer y which holddown the'edges of the cutout I space. This inlay may also be cemented tothe under ply.

AAn additional securing means is shown in Fig. 6, consisting of an-eye kprojecting from the back of the inlayr through the inner ply and engagedwith a fastener Z,'whioh frequently used to hold shoe buttons. Thismechanical fastener may Lbe used in connection with any or all of thepreviously described securing means; and all `of said means may be usedwith the same inlay.

Fig. 7 illustrates the utilizing of the inlay as a jewelv setting, theinlay e3 there shown having an embedded stone 7), typifying any sort ofstonev or other-ornamental object which -may be secured in the inlay asin a jewel setting. The means for'thus mounting a stone or similar'ornament is an' .may be of the same sort as the fasteners 'Y addedfeature capable of use withany of.

.the forms and designs of inlay herein described, however the inlay mabe itself secured to the shoe, upper. igure 11A illustrates such ajeweled inlay provided with a flange such. as those shown -in Fi res 4and 5, and secured byV means of a hesive, stitches, and a mechanicalfastener.

The ornamental inlays according to this they'are entirely surrounded bythe outer' ply, but may be used whlere they are only partly surrounded.Thus, in Fig. 1, I have shown vthe llower edge ofy the strap b as pinkedor scalloped, and a stri like the strip It of Fig. 4 1s placed under tis pinkedl edge and secured by the stitching, whileinlayA pieces rcorresponding to e and g are fitted to the recesses of the edge andsecured to` such strip; in any of'thle ways hereinbefore described orindicated ,in/ this specification.

In namlng specifically one, sort of adhesive which I may use to hold theinlays in place, thisl being'the type of adhesive especially adapted tocelluloid inlays, I llave not intended |to limit my protection to thatparticular class of adhesives inl cases where theA lnl'ays are made ofotherA materigl than a0l 1y and are bridged across by thel stitchesinvention are not limitedto situations where celluloid. In such cases Imay use any adhesive suitable to the material employed for the inlay, orI may use mechanical fasteners alone.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A. s-hoe upper having an opening formed therein, and an ornamentalinlay secured to the upper with a portion within and conforming closelto t'he `outline of said opening, said inlay being of moldable4 materialof sutlcient rigidity to retain its shape independently of the upper.

2. A shoe upper comprising inner and outer layers or plies, the outerlayer having an opening formed therein, and an ornamental inlay securedto the inner ply with a portion protruding into and closely conformingtothe outline of the opening in the outer ply, said inlay being ofmoldable material of suicient rigidity to retain its shape independentlyof the upper. v

3. A shoe lupper constructed with-inner and outer plies, the -outer plyhaving an opening, an inlay contained in said opening, stitches unitingthe plies together along' the borders of said opening, and a flange ofless' thickness than said inlay projecting outward from the edgesadjacent to the underface l of the inlay between the plies and acrosssaid stitches.

4. A shoe.- upper comprising inner and outer plies, the outer ply havingan opening, a piece of a contrasting color etfect to the upper seated insaidl opening, and a sheet of the same material as said inlay, of widerdimensions than said opening, confined between the plies back of theopening and inlay, the linlay being united to said sheet.

5. The combination with a shoe upper of an ornamental inlay applied tothe exp sed side of said upper, and having an inwardly projecting memberon its inner face, and a `mechanical -fast-ener inside the upper securedto said projecting member of the inlay.

l 6. The combination with a shoe upper of an ornamental inlay applied tothe outer side of the upper, said inlay having an eye passing throughthe upper, and aV mechani cal fastener at the inner side of the upperconnected-to said eye.-

7.- A shoe upper having superposed plies, the outerone of which is cutout, an ornamental inlay substantially filling the cutout area of saidouter ply, said inlay being v adherently secured to the outer face ofthe WILLIAM F; BosTocK.

